Brick and wall construction



s. A. MARSTELLER.

BRWCK AND WALL CONSTRUCTION. APPLICATION FILED MAR.10.1916- 1,395,507. Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

FIG.1

E -LIL WITNESS 'INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SYLVESTEIE A. MARSTELLER, OF CARRICK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN H. RONEY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

BRICK AND WALL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application .filed March 10, 1916. Serial No. 83,232.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvns'rER A. MAR- STELLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Garrick, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have in-' vented a new and useful Improvement in Brick and Wall Constructions, of which improvement the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of the various kinds of walls, chimneys, etc., and the form of brick or tile employed in the same.

My invention hasfor its principal objects, to provide a brick which will, in wall, chimney, and other constructions, greatly reduce the quantity of mortar; in the construction thereof, in comparison with that of the ordinary brick, thus reducing the cost; to provide a brick that can be more readily handled by the workman in the construction of walls, etc., as well as quickly laid; that will permit of the free circulation of air in the wall, and that will be strong, durable, not liable to displacement, and be of neat appearance.

With the above objects in View, my invention consists in certain features of construction, arrangement, and in certain parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth in this specification, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, I have shown a practical embodiment of my in vention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan of the regulation brick as employed in straight course work of a structure. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan of the brick as employed in the corners of the structure.- Fig. l is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of a wall constructed in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section,

Fig; 7 is a perspective of a modified form of brick for straight course work.

In the embodiment shown, the brick employed for straight course work comprises a body portion having a flat underside portion which is provided near its two opposite sides with the longitudinally-disposed mortar keys or grooves 2-2. On the upper side of said body, at the two opposite sides thereof, are formed the two upwardly-extended paralleling flanges 33, constituting in fact upturned portions of the side walls, each of which has formed therein a longitudinallydisposed mortar groove 4, preferably, shallow, as shown, to economize in the quantity of mortar used, and at the same time produce a greater mortar thrust than is secured with the ordinary brick. Intermediate of these flanges, but of less depth, is also formed the longitudinal rib 5, having tapered side walls and presenting in crosssection the appearanceof a dovetail. This rib is intended to serve the purpose of a hand grip for the workman in handling and setting the brick during the construction of the wall in which they are employed.

The brick employed in the corners of the wall or other structure, is usually made of half the size of that of the other brick. This brick comprises'the body portion 6, having the flange portion 7 extending along one side and end thereof in right-angular form. This brick has also a mortar key or groove 8 formed about the flanged portion thereof and a like groove 9 in the plain underside thereof.

In forming a wall with the above described brick, the straight course brick is laid, end to end, on a suitable foundation with mortar 1O therebetween, the underside of the same being also embedded in the mortar at the key or grooves 2, thus keying the layer to the foundation. At the end of the wall is also arranged and secured by mortar the corner brick, against which, and a portion of the adjoining straight brick, abuts the first brick of the adjacent or connecting side wall at right angles thereto. The con struction of the wall is then continued, the flanged portion of the bricks always being uppermost, the mortar between the flanged top of the one layer and the plain bottom portion of the next layer directly thereabovc being keyed to one another, as shown in Fig. 6,-and also giving a greater mortar thrust. In handling and laying the brick, the work man grasps the same by the central rib 5, the tapered sides thereof enabling him to more firmly grasp the same without danger of its slipping from his grasp. The channels formed between the flanged portion of the brick, as will be readily apparent, form an air space between the layers of brick.

In Fig. 7, where the modification is shown, the body portion 11 of the brick is provided on its upper side with the three flanges 12 -12712, the intermediate one 9 which may either be employed as an additional support, or as a hand grasping rib, as desired. The flanges are eachprovided with a mortar key or groove 13, there being similar grooves lt formed in the flat underside portion of the body.

- Having thus shown and described a practical embodiment of my invention, what I claim, is V 1. A building block, the face of which is brick size, comprising a plurality of spacedapartfload-sustaining members, said load- 7 sustaining members being connected by a horizontal, transverse web, which, with said load-sustaining members, constitutes the base of the block, and a longitudinalmember extending vertically from and connected with said horizontal transverse web and arranged between s'aid spaced-apart, load-sustaining members, and adapted for the purpose of a hand-hold, the said load-sustaining members, the transverse web connecting them and the longitudinal hand-hold member being of uniform length.

' 2. A building block, comprising a plurah ity of spaced-apart, load-sustaining members, said load-sustaining members being united by a horizontal transverse web arranged substantially below a plane passing horizontally through the centers of the loadsustaining members and constituting, with said load-sustaining members, the base of the block,and alongitudinal member intebeing provided at their outer edges with mortar grooves and the opposite face of the body portion being provided with corresponding mortar grooves', the members defining an intermediate air space and having substantially the size of a-building brick, and a hand hold projecting into the said air space from an; intermediate portion of the body portion.

4:. A channel brick including a flat body portion having parallel side members projecting fromone face thereof, said members being provided on their upper edges with mortar receiving surfaces, the opposite .face of the" body portion being provided with mortar rooves, the members defining an intermediate air space and having substantially the size of a building brick, and a longitudinally extending hand holdrprojecting into the air space from an intermediate por ti'on of the bodyjportion, said hand hold having a spaced and parallel relation to the side members. V

5.-A building block comprising a plurality of spaced-apart load-sustaining members having their upper-and lower surfaces, respectively, lying incommon planes, and a horizontal transverse web connecting the load-sustaining members arranged substantially below a plane passing horizontally through the centers of the load-sustaining members and forming with the lower portions of the load-sustaining members a base for the block, and a central longitudinal web connectedto said transverse web and disposed between and spaced from said side members and adapted for the purposes of a hand hold, all parts of the block being included between the planes of the upper and lower surfaces of the load-sustaining members, I 1

6. Hollow wall'construction' consisting in twin walls comprising channel brick adapted to be laid horizontally in courses, mortar being interposed between the courses and bonding the same, each brick having a plurality of spaced-apart, load-sustaining members connected by a horizontal transverse web, which, with the load-sustaining members, constitutes the base of the block and forming above said transverse web, and between said load sustaining -members, a cen' tral horizontally disposed air space and having a longitudinal vertically disposed member connected to said transverseweb and arranged between said load-sustaimng members, the said load-sustaining members, the

transverse webconnecting them and the We tical, longitudinally disposed memberv all be- I ing of uniform length,and the said horizontal air space interruptingthe mortar o1nts transversely of the walls.

In testimony "whereof, I have hereunto SLQDBCl my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses;

SYLVESTER A. MARSTELLER. I In the presence of R. S. HARRISON,

LAWRENCE Gr. CARLIN. 

